Extra three
Three years later, Emperor Showa had not changed much, except for two more silver hairs on his temples, and his majesty became more intense.
Although Lu Shang had never been to Beijing in these years, he often asked the emperor for money and people, and each time he wrote back in the name of reporting progress, most of the letters were about where money was short and where additional manpower was needed.
Finally, add one more sentence -
I am dedicated to serving Your Majesty with my whole heart, and heaven and earth can bear witness to this.
The emperor had no way to reprimand him and could only accept it with a pinch of his nose. For the sake of the royal maritime merchant, he almost emptied his own private treasury. In the end, it was the queen who gave him some money to prevent him from draining out all his family assets.
After Lu Shang finished his ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows, Emperor Showa was just about to give him the cold shoulder.
Unexpectedly, Lu Shang had just stood up when he knelt down again with a thud, saying loudly, "I have devoted my life to Your Majesty, every day for three years, without slacking off. I am so honored to finally see Your Majesty again. This is truly my great honor!"
The difficulties he had written about in the letter were brought up again, such as the strong winds and waves at sea, the lack of money to reinforce the merchant ships, the lack of sailors, the inability to cope with the heavy maritime trade, and the desire to recruit more people... Lu Shang, with tears and snot, listed them all to Emperor Showa in person.
I don't know whether he was truly deeply in love or had excellent acting skills, but in the end, his eyes were red and filled with tears, and he said as his final words, "To be loyal to Your Majesty, I will not refuse even a thousand deaths!"
Emperor Showa thought:
Lu Qing has already acted like this, and if I continue to be cold and rude to him, I would be a complete wretch.
Thinking of this, he immediately asked the eunuch to help Lu Shang up and gave him a seat, which was only three or five steps away from him. As long as Lu Shang leaned forward a little, he could see the words on his desk clearly.
Emperor Zhaohe sighed softly and asked, "Since Mr. Lu has moved his family to the capital, do you plan to stay there long-term? Do you want to buy a new house for yourself, or live with your father-in-law?"
Emperor Showa originally did not have much feeling towards the Jiang family. However, since Jiang's father was reinstated, he has always been neutral in the court, not fighting or competing, and rarely participated in court debates. He either concentrated on compiling books or guiding students. He can be said to be aloof and aloof from the world, completely immersed in books, and he completed the emperor's several missions successfully.
Moreover, the eldest son of the Jiang family who was far away in the north had made great military achievements. In just three short years, he was promoted twice and became one of the best generals in the Northwest Camp.
Such ministers who have children of meritorious service and do not overstep the bounds of duty will naturally please the emperor.
If Lu Shang had lived with the Jiang family three years ago, Emperor Zhaohe might have felt that the Jiang family had a stain on them and was afraid that it would drag down Lu Shang.
But now, he thought it would be better for Lu Shang to live in the Jiang family. Once he had established a good relationship with Yue's family, Jiang's father was a great scholar and the prince's tutor. He could protect his son-in-law both in normal times and in the court.
Lu Shang didn't know what the emperor was thinking. Although he felt that the emperor must have found out everything before he came, he certainly had to answer the emperor's questions.
"If Your Majesty has the order, I am willing to live in the capital permanently. I have already bought a new house. Once I have finished tidying up the main courtyard, I will move out of the Yue family's house. However, my new house is very close to the Yue family's house, just one street away, so it is convenient for daily travel."
Emperor Showa nodded slightly: "Very good."
After this, Emperor Showa had no other questions for a while. He did not speak, and Lu Shang refused to speak either. For a moment, the imperial study fell into silence.
Lu Shang raised his head secretly, and his eyes happened to meet Emperor Showa's.
An alarm bell suddenly rang in his heart. Without thinking, he lowered his head and sat up straight, as if the person who had the audacity to look directly into the emperor's face was not him.
Emperor Zhaohe: "..."
He had no choice but to comfort himself again -
Lu Qing was born in a farming family and has been doing business for many years, so it is normal that he is not as dignified as the aristocratic families.
Thinking this way, he ignored Lu Shang's crime of disrespect.
Besides, he took the risk of calling Lu Shang to the palace not to bother about these trivial matters. What was more important at the moment was, of course, the maritime trade in which he had invested a lot.
Thinking of the Wavebreaker, which had been missing for over six months, Emperor Showa became restless and asked, "I summoned Lord Lu to my presence today because I am concerned about the Wavebreaker. I wonder if Lord Lu has any news on the Wavebreaker?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Shang nervously.
However, Lu Shang's answer disappointed him for a while.
Lu Shang said calmly, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The merchant ship is sailing far overseas, and there are no post stations on the sea, so it is impossible to send letters. I am thousands of miles away, so naturally I don't know what is happening on the ship."
"But rest assured, Your Majesty. The crew on board are all experienced and rigorously trained, and with the experienced captain from the logistics team, there will be no problems. I'm also thinking that this is the first time the Breaking Wave has sailed, and I'll make it known to the world upon our return. This is a matter of great importance to Your Majesty, so we must return with a full load!"
"That's why I told them to go further away. If they can bring back some rare treasures, it will be worth the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver we've invested over the past two years."
Emperor Showa felt a pang of pain when talking about the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver invested in maritime merchants.
He said angrily, "At the beginning, I said I would give Lu Qing five years, but Lu Qing wrote to me again and again saying that as long as I paid enough money, I would see results in three years. The Breaking Waves has been out for almost a year now. I can't just sit there and wait, can I?"
Emperor Showa was not a very adventurous person, and hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were not something he could take out just like that.
It was really because Lu Shang was too good at painting big and round pie in the sky. In every letter he wrote, he would talk about how lucrative the profits of maritime trade were. The blueprint he painted was really tempting, which was why Emperor Showa believed it every time and invested money in it.
Although this money has always been kept in the private treasury and has never been informed to the court officials, if it is really lost, or even worse, if it is lost, it will be a disgrace to the adults.
Emperor Showa's plan to raise the status of merchants, despite opposition from many people, was aborted.
If he faced opposition from court officials again in the future, he would no longer have the confidence to refute them.
Perhaps sensing Emperor Showa's uncertainty, Lu Shang added, "However, I estimate that the two Wavebreakers will be back in two months at most, before the Lunar New Year. Your Majesty might as well make some arrangements early on to see how to dispose of the cargo brought back by the merchant ships."
"Then, when the time comes to announce the state-owned commercial bank to the world, I'm afraid there will be some disturbances. Your Majesty should make preparations early."
After hearing this, Emperor Showa gradually calmed down.
He pondered for a moment: "What Mr. Lu said is timely, so I will wait a little longer, and by the way, I have arranged the personnel to meet with me. But if there is no letter from the merchant ship by the end of the year——"
"I come here with my head!" Lu Shang stood up and said with a bow.
Emperor Showa: "...Even if I don't want your head, I will definitely punish you severely."
After that, he reprimanded Lu Shang again, and said before leaving: "Since Mr. Lu is back, the appointment that has been delayed for three years should be put on the agenda. However, there is no vacancy in the Hanlin Academy now, so Mr. Lu should go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs first. As for the official position..." Emperor Showa thought for a long time and finally came up with an inconspicuous position.
Lu Shang was given a position of a moderately high fourth-rank official and was temporarily assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The highest official rank in the Department of Foreign Affairs was only of the sixth rank, and it was quite unexpected that Lu Shang, a fourth-rank official, was parachuted in.
If he wanted to give orders to the officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs, it would be unreasonable, but if he was asked to obey the orders of the official, he was two ranks higher than the other party after all.
But no matter what, it was the emperor's assignment, so Lu Shang could only kowtow and express his gratitude.
Eunuch Fang personally escorted him out, intending to send him back to Jiang's father. Lu Shang repeatedly declined and gave him the agate beads he had brought with him: "These are little trinkets I brought back from overseas, Eunuch Fang, please don't refuse them."
Eunuch Fang had no choice but to accept it with a smile.
Three days later, Lu Shang received a new official robe and appeared in court for the first time with his father Jiang.
Just as Emperor Showa had expected, all the inquiries from the court officials were blocked by Jiang's father. Lu Shang only needed to follow behind him as a good son-in-law, standing at the end of the team during court sessions and returning to Jiang's father after court sessions. For half a month, most of the capital knew that Jiang's son-in-law had come to the capital.
Even if he went to the Department of Foreign Affairs, things would have gone smoothly. The director of the Department of Foreign Affairs was Zhang Jianning, the runner-up in the same class as him. He had been thinking about the trade route to the west in recent years.
When Zhang Jianning heard that Lu Shang had a logistics team spread all over Dazhao and had been to the Western Regions twice, his eyes lit up. As soon as Lu Shang entered the yamen, he hurried over to ask all kinds of questions.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and Lu Shang had established a firm foothold in the court.
The emperor did not show much attention to him, and his colleagues, apart from being curious at first, later treated him calmly.
Lu Shang just went to work on time and left work on time. He had nothing to do in the yamen and could take a leave every now and then. As a result, he became the most idle person in the entire Jiang family.
Let’s talk about Jiang Wanning and Grandma Lu.
In a blink of an eye, the family has been in Beijing for more than two months. Since arriving in Beijing, little An An has been taken care of by Jiang's mother and Grandma Lu. Jiang Wanning has nothing to do, so she either reads at home or goes out to look for furniture.
However, as Lu Shang entered the court, trouble also arose on her side.
It turned out that a lady who was good friends with Jiang's mother heard it from somewhere. The young lady of the Jiang family once opened a private school in Songxi County. In just a few years, she taught countless Jinshi and Juren. One of her apprentices even became a scholar at a young age, which caused quite a sensation at the time.
Even the dark horse top scorer in the imperial examination a few years ago had studied in his private school. That was how he was able to rise from a merchant to the imperial court.
The lady's surname was Xie. She had a nephew who had studied with a famous teacher for many years but had made no progress. With the help of his ancestors, he entered the Imperial College, but he failed the exams every time and would be expelled if he failed twice more.
Mrs. Xie was entrusted by her sisters to find a good husband for her nephew.
The best candidate would of course be Jiang Zhiyuan, the Grand Secretary. But after all, he is now the Prince's tutor and does not easily accept disciples. If she gives him some guidance, it may not be enough to make her stupid nephew improve.
On the other hand, the daughter of the Jiang family must have been taught by her father when she was young, and she worked as a female teacher for many years. She also taught so many students, so she must be knowledgeable.
Maybe... he can take his father's place?
Mrs. Xie was also troubled for several days until her nephew failed the test again. If he did not make any progress in the final test in three months, he would be expelled from the Imperial College.
All the students in the Imperial College are descendants of nobles in the capital, and not a single one has been expelled in all these years. Madam Xie doesn't want her nephew to be the first one. If the news gets out, she will also lose face.
Under such urgent circumstances, Mrs. Xie no longer cared about worldly prejudices and packed up a large gift and came to the door.
She was also worried that if only her own nephews and nieces studied with Jiang Wanning, there would be differences in genders, and she was afraid that bad words would spread. She also found a few distant relatives of similar age in advance and wanted to teach Jiang Wanning together.
Then she found a few children aged four or five, and under the pretext of enlightenment, she wanted to talk to the Jiang family first.
Later, Mrs. Xie heard that the private school in Songxi County was divided into boys' and girls' schools. She thought it would be better to find a few female students and form a small school so that she would not have to worry about gossip.
She added a little here and a little there, and half a month later, she had found more than a dozen students, both male and female, old and young. She also called their mothers and went to visit them together.
When Jiang Wanning was called to the main hall, she was stunned when she saw a room full of ladies.
Until Madam Xie warmly grasped her hand and repeatedly praised her: "Mrs. Lu is indeed very beautiful and very knowledgeable. I envy Madam Jiang so much for having a daughter like you!"
"Thank you, thank you? I wonder if this lady..." Jiang Wanning was a little confused.
Madam Xie took her hand and continued, "My last name is Xie, and I'm quite friendly with Madam Jiang. If Madam Lu doesn't mind, you might as well call me Aunt Xie!"
"Speaking of which, the main reason I came to the Jiang Mansion today was to see you. I have a favor to ask of you!"
These words made Jiang Wanning even more confused. She tentatively pulled her hand back, but Madam Xie noticed her intention and came closer to her intimately.
Looking again, Jiang's mother was sitting quietly in her seat, with no intention of helping or speaking up to rescue her.
Jiang Wanning had no choice but to ask, "I wonder what Mr. Xie... Aunt Xie is talking about?"
Mrs. Xie explained her purpose and the whole process. Finally, she said, "This is the situation. My nephew is really stupid. He has changed several teachers in a row, but he has not made any progress. It makes his mother and I worry so much!"
"As soon as I heard you had moved here to run a private school and had taught quite a few students, I rushed over. And these ladies, having heard of your reputation, came here too!"
Only then did Jiang Wanning finally understand everything.
But she wasn't carried away by the flattery. Instead, she said cautiously, "Aunt Xie may have misunderstood. It's true that I ran a private school before, but it was all done at my own whim. In recent years, I've focused more on girls' education, mostly teaching them how to read and do accounting. I'm afraid my other academic skills may have declined."
The capital is not like Songxi County. Jiang Wanning has experienced this firsthand. In a place like the capital, if you are not careful, you may bring disaster upon yourself.
Besides, the nephew that Mrs. Xie mentioned is the son of a military general in the current dynasty. Jiang's father is already a leader among the civil officials. If she has any involvement with the family of a military general, who knows if it will lead to bad things.
After thinking it over for a while, Jiang Wanning almost said the refusal directly.
Unexpectedly, just as she finished speaking, Madam Xie pointed to the side and said, "That's just a coincidence!"
It was unclear whether she truly didn't hear Jiang Wanning's refusal, or was deliberately pretending not to understand. Regardless, she said happily, "I've heard of it too! Madam Lu's private school not only has a boys' school, but also a girls' school. Isn't this just a coincidence!"
"Those ladies have girls of marriageable age at home and were originally planning to hire a teacher. Now that they've met Madam Lu, they can't just save the trouble. Let me be honest, Madam Lu has taught so many female students, she must be more experienced than the teachers. They've really come at a good time!"
Jiang Wanning: “…”
She said helplessly, "Aunt Xie, to be honest, I've been living in Songxi County and haven't been back to the capital for many years. I've just moved here and there are still many things I'm not used to. I'm afraid I can't agree to anything you and the other ladies can do."
These words still failed to move Mrs. Xie.
Or maybe she knew long before she came that this trip might not be smooth sailing.
Madam Xie's smile remained unchanged as she patted Jiang Wanning's hand. "Okay, okay, I know, I know. Madam Lu, don't worry. You just returned to Beijing, so you should get used to it."
"How about this? I'll start setting up a private school with the other ladies first. When Madam Lu is ready, we can go to class later, okay?"
This scene made Jiang Wanning feel dazed.
Thinking back to when she was in Songxi County, she was invited by Madam Feng, who helped her contact all parties, and only then was she able to open a private school.
If there is any difference, it is that Madam Feng started to arrange things after asking for her opinion, while Madam Xie in front of her wanted to prepare everything in advance, and forced her to do it regardless of whether she was willing or not. It was all because of her incompetent nephew.
Although Jiang Wanning could understand it, she found it difficult to agree with it.
She wanted to refuse directly, but before she could say anything, she heard Jiang's mother, who had been sitting behind her, speak.
"How about this—" Jiang's mother said, and everyone looked over at the same time. "Wanwan has been out all day, so her mind may not be so clear."
"I know everyone's anxious, but studying won't take a day or two. How about this: everyone go home first, and ask Wanwan to think it over carefully. After three or five days, I'll give you an answer."
Since it was her mother who had spoken, Jiang Wanning would not refuse her and nodded in agreement.
The others were led by Madam Xie. After a brief consideration, Madam Xie finally let Jiang Wanning go temporarily, with an expression of understanding: "Yes, yes, Madam Jiang is right!"
"Then, Madam Lu, please consider it. I think this private school is feasible."
Jiang Wanning wanted to laugh, and didn't know how she could say this.
But Mrs. Xie had already gone to greet Jiang's mother, and her words inevitably added a bit of persuasion, saying something like -
Wanwan has so much talent for writing, it would be a shame to waste it all. It would be better for her to continue her private school and open one in the capital, so that her talent will not be wasted!
Jiang Wanning did not deny her words, but her intention to refuse did not waver at all.
She sat in the hall for half an hour, and only after Mrs. Xie left did she feel completely relieved.
After sending the guests out, she came back with Jiang's mother and pressed her forehead tiredly: "This Madam Xie is really——"
Jiang's mother suddenly realized what she hadn't said and shook her head. "I didn't know she'd bring so many people here today, and she'd start talking about opening a private school. I've always thought she was a steady person, so why is she so abrupt today? It's not like her style."
Jiang Wanning didn't care what Madam Xie's style was. She just said helplessly, "It has nothing to do with our family anyway. As for that private school she mentioned, it's too unreliable. Wait a few days, mother, please help me reject it."
Mother Jiang nodded. "There were too many people here just now. If you had refused outright, Madam Xie would have lost face and it would have been bad for us to become enemies. It would have been better to delay it for a few days."
"Since you don't want to, I'll refuse it for you later."
That night, Jiang Wanning told Lu Shang about this as gossip, but Lu Shang unexpectedly expressed a completely different opinion.
Lu Shang asked, "Come to think of it, I haven't asked Aning yet, have you ever thought about opening a school in the capital?"
"What?" Jiang Wanning turned around and didn't understand what he meant for a moment.
Lu Shang explained, "We just moved here a few months ago, and haven't thought too much about the future. Now that we're settled, we might as well think about other things."
"Aning's private school in Songxi County has been running for over ten years. From the initial enlightenment in Wuming Lane to the later private school in the prefectural capital, although I can't say that he has many students all over the world, he has hundreds of students."
"Although Madam Xie lacked some boundaries, she did remind me that Aning has put so much effort into the private school. It's not right for her to give it up just because of the move. That's why I wanted to ask you, have you ever thought about opening a school in the capital?"
After these words, a hint of confusion flashed across Jiang Wanning's eyes.
She thought about it, then shook her head slightly, and had to express her concerns.
Lu Shang asked, "Is it because you're afraid of getting too involved with too many aristocratic families and getting into legal trouble?"
Jiang Wanning nodded. "The capital is unlike other places. High-ranking officials can be found everywhere, and the children of every family are coveted and have high hopes. If I delay them, they might resent me. Besides, the capital is full of talented people, with so many top and second place winners. How could a mere woman like me get the chance?"
Lu Shang didn't respond, but instead asked, "A Ning, do you still remember what I told you before you opened your private school?"
The memories of the past were so distant that Jiang Wanning had to recall them for a while before she could find some traces of them in the depths of her memory and remember them vaguely.
"You told me... as long as it's what I want, I can do it. You are always behind me."
"That's right." Lu Shang smiled gently, "Then let me ask you again, putting aside these external factors, is An Ning willing to continue teaching?"
"I—" Jiang Wanning frowned slightly, "It's not a question of whether I'm willing or not. I have to consider it..."
Before she could finish, Lu Shang interrupted again: "Are you willing?"
"..." Jiang Wanning was silent for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, she closed her eyes and nodded. "Perhaps I am willing. After all, it has been so many years. I once thought that I would teach in a nameless private school for the rest of my life."
Those days may have been busy, but facing the expressions of gratitude from students and their families, it seemed as if all my efforts had paid off, and my heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
"Then let's open another school. I'll take care of everything." Lu Shang said, pulling her to sit next to him. "If Aning is really worried, then we won't recruit children from noble families, but only children from ordinary families."
"Just like the original alley school, we recruited some boys and girls and only provided them with enlightenment."
Lu Shang thought about it and said deliberately: "Even if it is like this, I may not make much money. An Ning will have to rely on me for support in the future."
Jiang Wanning had originally looked a bit worried, but his last words angered her, and a bit of life came to her face. She couldn't help but push him and whispered, "I don't need you. I have parents to support me!"
Lu Shang couldn't help but laugh, and kissed her chin hard. Before she could get angry, he rubbed her soothingly: "Yes, yes, Aning doesn't need me. Then Aning, please ask my parents if they can raise me too."
"Hey——" Jiang Wanning was at a loss for words. Before she could say anything else, she was pushed onto the bed.
A night of spring.
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